Extended
Metabolite Profile of the Human Spinal Cord

1Institute
for Biomedical Engineering , University and ETH Zurich , Zurich, Switzerland;
2Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University and ETH Zurich,
Zurich, Switzerland; 3Dept. of Clinical Research and Institute of
Diagnostic, Interventional and Pediatric Radiology, University of Bern, Bern,
Switzerland; 4Institute of Neuroradiology, University Hospital of
Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; 5Max Planck Institute for Biological
Cybernetics, Tbingen, Germany

Clinical magnetic resonance spectroscopy is rarely
applied in the spinal cord due to technical challenges leading to a low
spectral quality and thus to a limited number of reliable detectable metabolites.
In order to extend the metabolite profile an increase of the spectral quality
is necessary, which could be achieved by both: averaging a high number of
FIDs and by using a dedicated neck coil. Besides N-acetyl aspartate,
creatine, choline and myo-inositol a reliable detection of scyllo-inositol
and glutamine/glutamate was possible. Increased myo-inositol/creatine and
scyllo-inositol/creatine ratios compared to brain estimates can be observed
in the spinal cord.